Hey! Not all vegans look like crap! (Although I know a few vegetarians that do ) If you're not into cooking proper vegan/vegetarian meals and supplementing your diet with alternative sources of protein, then maybe! Vs do tend to include a lot more fruit and veg in their diet than you cow hide munchers, so not sure how they could suffer from a vitamin deficiency. Iron deficiency maybe?

Many people object to the methods in which animals are reared and slaughtered, rather than the consumption of meat itself. That is wholly natural of course, and you're right - why else do we have canines? For me it's just a health thing. Saturated fats swilling around my stomach and congealing. Yurgh! Not to mention all the crap that they pump into intensively farmed animals these days.

Gotta say, I'm probably going to have to try dog meat soup when I come to SK. Only so I can wind up friends back home of course. And also because it would be hypocritical of me to say it's fine to eat cute baby cows but not horrid yapping dogs. The big thing at the moment in the UK press is the use of dogs and cats to make fur coats in Europe. Again, the word 'hypocrisy' jumps out of the page even before the pictures of hundreds of blood matted Alsatian coats. How do you think the Hindus feel about Maccy Ds as well?

Before being eaten, animals are electrocuted, strangled, or bludgeoned to death...

This never made sense to me. Surely it does happen sometimes, but it simply isn't feasible for farmers to beat and strangle each dog for hours before electrocuting it. If you're moving millions of dogs in a non-automated environment, it would just take too long.

I've been following this for years, and have yet to hear an animal rights person give definitive proof that this even happens.

And if it does happen - which it probably does - the best way to end the suffering is regulation and legalisation.

The "companion animals" argument doesn't hold much water either. Dogs may be your friends and family, but they aren't everyone's.

There is no moral difference between eating a pig and a dog, no matter what anyone says.

Speaking as a Hindu, I have to say that most of us are not particularly bothered by the rest of the world's culinary desires. Many of us don't eat beef or pork - but then again, heaps of us do! Hinduism is a very individual practic, and generally, Hindus are very blase about the world at large. After all, it's all just an illusory plane, right? Why get fussed over someone elses eating habits?

Dogs are companion animals. They are our friends and family members. They love and trust us!

I understand that meat is meat and protein is protein, but I don't believe it's right to eat (an torture) an animal that loves you.

Forgive me for this, but this is sentimental codswallop!

I completely agree with 'The King'. How can you say it's wrong to kill one animal just because we give him a silly name and let him sleep on our bed at night, but O.K to kill any other animal just because you don't deign to pay them the same kind of attention. Dogs are no more 'companion' animals than any other gregarious pack animals. They befriend us because they have no choice. What about feral dogs? They don't want to be our bestest buddies. If you've ever lived/worked/spent time on a farm you'll realise that cows and horses can get attached to people just as much and vice versa. Hell! My rabbit was more of a companion than any of the family dogs. At the end of the day, if you're attached to anything you wouldn't want to eat any of its kind. For years I wouldn't eat sea fish because I loved my pet porcupine puffer so much. She used to swim up to the front of the tank frantically waving her little fins up and down, all pleased and happy to see me. Sob! Now I'm feeling all sad and gooey...

Speaking as a Hindu, I have to say that most of us are not particularly bothered by the rest of the world's culinary desires. Many of us don't eat beef or pork - but then again, heaps of us do! Hinduism is a very individual practic, and generally, Hindus are very blase about the world at large. After all, it's all just an illusory plane, right? Why get fussed over someone elses eating habits?

Wombat

Why indeed?

"Harish Bharti came to prominence last summer when he learned fast-food king McDonald’s was using beef flavor in their fries.

The Seattle-based lawyer was offended and felt betrayed. He vowed to make the corporation pay for misleading its customers, especially the vegetarians and Hindus who don’t eat beef."

Any Hindu that takes his chances eating at a beef-based, non-Hindu food chain deserves what he gets.

What I see going on here is a lot of anthropomorphism with animals. It's a neurotic human behaviour - we're always bestowing human emotions to animals. "He LOVES me." "He's upset." "He doesn't like to watch TV."

Whether or not this is true isn't the point - we have no proof that other animals feel what we think they feel. To stand on a moral high ground about eating dog meat, cat meat or any other unusual meat is ridiculous if you have no qualms about scoffing down beef, mutton or anything else.